1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction
after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
the two siblings seemed intent on rasping each other for the entire car trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction
during the last ice age, glaciers rasped the surface, leaving the deeply scarred rock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rasp
Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
The crowd was eating out of the palm of his hand, hanging on every word spit with that signature rasp.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
The Argentina legend stepped up and rasped the ball into the top corner.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rasp
Noun
None of this would land without the heroic voice acting of Pamela Adlon, who subtly dials up his boyish vocal fry into the rasp of a grown man.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
The crowd was eating out of the palm of his hand, hanging on every word spit with that signature rasp.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
The Argentina legend stepped up and rasped the ball into the top corner.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rasp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasp
Noun
-
James was named a starter last season, but was a late scratch from the event because of foot and ankle injuries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Because most of the archival footage lacked audio, Iwerks collaborated with Skywalker Sound to create auditory elements — like hammers, paintbrushes and train engines — from scratch.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One of the brothers claims that Busfield rubbed his genitals and touched his buttocks during the production, per the warrant.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Its main job is to rub against the eyelid during a blink to generate a small amount of static electricity.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There are 617 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Use a fork to scrape out strands of squash and transfer them to a large bowl.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There is no sound, and Helen begins to get annoyed.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Luis is frankly annoyed by this type of music.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meyer, meanwhile, wore a white graphic tee with black mini shorts and a Thom Browne top coat, W reported.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
He was last seen wearing a red and black plaid shirt, dark jeans and brown steel-toe boots, police said.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hearing the house creak in the recordings was important, Auerbach said.—
Audrey Gibbs,
USA Today,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Owners at the condo, where many units sold for upwards of $20 million, have complained of leaks, creaks, and elevators that break frequently, in one case trapping a resident for more than an hour.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Attorneys for the plaintiffs and defendant signed a stipulation of discontinuance in November, according to a court document filed in December and obtained by Deadline.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Orange County has filed a court motion to dismiss Cal Fire’s claim that it is owed $32 million to cover the costs associated with fighting the 2024 Airport fire.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That thing’s been bugging on him for a while.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Check the head and base and foot of the bed, peeling back the top sheet to look for evidence on mattress covers, box springs, dust ruffles, and the headboard—and most importantly, the mattress seams and piping because bed bugs like to hide in cracks and crevices.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasp. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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